In The End

Chapter 32 - Mudblood Sisters

Eliza felt wet sand beneath her as she landed on all-fours. Looking around, she could now see that she was on a beach. Luna got up beside her and offered her a hand to help her up.

"Where are we?" She asked quietly, shielding her eyes as they adjusted to the sudden light.

Luna looked around, before her eyes landed on a little cottage nearby.

"I believe we're at one of the Order's hideouts." She said calmly, dusting the moist sand off of her clothes.

"Oh." Eliza said, starting to silently panic.

The Order was supposed to be her enemy. What would they do if they found out she was a deatheater?

"Come on." Luna said, grabbing her hand as she dragged her towards the house.

"Luna stop!" She said frantically.

Luna turned around and looked at her quizzically, tilting her head slightly.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

Eliza glanced nervously at Mr Ollivander, who had begun walking towards the house.

"I'm a deatheater." She whispered nervously.

"Yes, but you're defected, technically." She smiled.

"Yes, but what if the members of the Order don't see it that way." Eliza asked.

"Well it can't be any worse than what your fellow deatheaters did to us, can it?" She asked gently, giving Eliza a sweet smile.

Eliza visibly relaxed.

"I suppose you're right." She agreed, beginning to walk towards the house.

Luna and Eliza sat at the wooden dining table, listening to the subtle tinkle of the wind chimes. Before they had made it to the house, they had heard the others apparate, and seen Dobby die.

Luna had knelt down with Harry, and closed Dobby's eyes, however, Eliza stood a few metres away. She had no idea how Harry might feel about her presence.

The most likely thing would be that he didn't trust her. She wouldn't have blamed him. She was wrong. Harry and the others had been quite welcoming to her.

Luna explained everything to Bill and Fleur, who had nodded the whole time, listening intently to everything that happened, including the reasons why Eliza had ended up where she did.

She had told Luna all about Draco, and her uncle, while they had been together in the cellar. They had had a lot of time on their hands. Naturally, Mr Ollivander and the goblin knew too.

Just then, Hermione walked into the room. She was especially fond of Eliza, as they seemed to share the same scar on their arms. They also had a lot in common, with their love for books.

"We're going to be leaving soon." She began, looking slightly reluctant.

"Oh, that's too bad." Luna said disappointed.

"Have you two got any idea what you're going to be doing?" She asked.

"I'm afraid not. All I know is that I need to find a way to get rid of this mark before I can go anywhere where there isn't a protective ward." Eliza said, staring at her bare arm.

She had decided to stop wearing long sleeves, since nobody would ask her about her scars, as she had many others from Bellatrix. Nobody would have known the difference.

Hermione took her hand in hers.

"I think I may have found something." She said kindly, smiling at Eliza.

Eliza looked at her in shock.

"What?" She asked.

"Well, I was looking through my handbag, and I found a book about the First Wizarding War that Voldemort fought in. It spoke of many of the captured deatheaters, and that some had defected before Voldemort had fallen." She said excitedly.

"Are you saying you know how to remove the mark?" Eliza asked, astonished.

"Well, I did, but I need to warn you, it's very painful, and I still need to get hold of a few ingredients for the potion I'd like to use to heal afterwards. Unfortunately time seems to have gotten away from me so I'm afraid I can't perform the spell." She babbled.

"Hermione!" Eliza said, holding her shoulders.

Hermione shook her head and looked up at Eliza.

"Do the spell. I've dealt with enough pain to handle any effects it might have on me." She said seriously.

"What? Now?" Hermione asked incredulously, looking at Luna for guidance.

"I don't see why not." Luna shrugged and smiled.

Hermione looked back and forth between the two as if they were mad. Perhaps they were. They had been called lunatics on more than a few occasions.

Hermione let out a sigh and pulled out her wand.

"Alright, Luna, get me a towel please." Hermione instructed.

Luna did as she was told, and brought back a towel, handing it to Eliza.

"Bite on it." Hermione instructed.

"Excuse me?" Eliza asked confused.

"Just do it." Hermione said, taking Eliza's arm in her hand and pointing her wand readily at the black mark.

Eliza put the towel between her teeth and nodded to Hermione to begin.

Hermione murmured a spell under her breath, and soon, the edges of the Dark Mark started to fall away as if they were 2D, black grains of sand. It started to burn, and Eliza's teeth clamped down on the towel.

Hermione kept going, watching at the mark faded more and more. Eliza started to shake. Her arm felt as if it were on fire, as if her skin was being cooked. Luna stepped in and put a comforting arm around Eliza's shoulders, as Eliza breathed heavily.

"You're doing very well. It's almost gone." She said sweetly.

A few tears escaped from Eliza's eyes. She may have experienced a great deal of pain, but it didn't make it any easier every time she had to feel it again.

Hermione dropped her wand as soon as the mark disappeared completely, and there was only a flaming red patch of burnt skin left behind. Eliza looked at it in relief. It was gone. The mark was gone. She was no longer a deatheater.

Eliza jumped up out of her chair and gave Hermione a big hug.

"Thank you." She whispered.

Hermione hugged her back.

"Anything for my mudblood sister." She whispered, smirking.